Building a Farm Business, High-Quality Microgreens, Backyard to Business | The Modern Grower #006
The week of April 6, 2025 on Modern Grower YouTube and podcasts.
I can't tell you how often I hear people say, “I had no idea you had a podcast!”
It's mindblowing.
That's why I've launched The Modern Grower, where every week, I highlight three of our best episodes or videos in quick, actionable bites. My goal is to make it super easy for you to dive into content that can truly inspire and empower you. I hope you find it helpful and discover something new every time!
At a Glance
Part-Time to Full-Time: Building a Sustainable Market Farm Business - Michael Bell shares his strategy for building a profitable part-time market garden in Dallas on just 0.37 acres, explaining how focusing on 3-4 seasonal crops, implementing a flexible CSA model without upfront payments, and growing without debt creates a sustainable business that can evolve from supplemental income to post-retirement career while emphasizing that success requires patient scaling rather than rapid growth. Watch
10 Essential Principles for Growing High-Quality Microgreens - Chris Thoreau shares ten fundamental principles for microgreen production based on a decade of commercial growing experience, explaining how proper tray sanitation, quality seed selection, appropriate seeding density, and environmental management create consistently successful crops while emphasizing that each grower must adapt these principles to their unique conditions rather than simply following a fixed recipe. Watch
From Backyard to Business: A Rookie Farmer's Journey to Full-Time Production - Farmers Alec Smith and Colton Simpson discuss their parallel journeys from backyard growing to commercial market gardening, sharing how they've identified profitable crop niches at farmers markets, managed expansion onto new land with existing infrastructure, and developed strategic approaches to high tunnel production while emphasizing the value of gradual, experience-driven growth rather than attempting rapid scaling without adequate market testing. Watch
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Part-Time to Full-Time: Building a Sustainable Market Farm Business
This episode of Carrot Cash Flow features an in-depth conversation with Michael Bell of Dallas Half Acre Farm about the financial realities of small-scale market farming and how part-time growers can build profitable, sustainable businesses. Drawing on his experience as both an elementary school PE teacher and a successful urban farmer, Michael outlines a strategic approach for gradually scaling a farm business without debt while maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Through examining his unique CSA model, crop selection philosophy, and pathway to retirement, he reveals practical insights for creating a farm business that prioritizes profitability while avoiding common pitfalls that lead many new growers to failure.
Rethinking the Market Farm Business Model
Michael begins by challenging some common assumptions about market farming, particularly around sales channels:
"I'll get a lot of backlash for what I'm about to say, but farmers markets, I think people depend on them way too much. I'll just get in a farmer's market and I'll sell everything that I have. There's been people that have been there 10, 15 years that are just scratching by and now you're going to come in."
His criticism extends to other popular sales channels as well:
"I always tell people, grocery stores, the refrigeration part is the most expensive part of an entire grocery store. They have to have that refrigeration spot full or they're gonna cut you... Restaurants are the same thing. Chefs, they don't, it sounds mean, but they don't care that your arugula got aphid infestation and you don't have it for three weeks because you have to replant."
Instead of these high-pressure wholesale accounts or competitive farmers markets, Michael advocates for a simplified direct-to-consumer model that offers greater flexibility for new and part-time farmers. His approach is built on relationship-selling directly to consumers through a bi-weekly CSA model that doesn't require upfront payment - an unconventional approach that eliminates much of the pressure associated with traditional CSA structures.
Crop Specialization for Maximum Efficiency
One of Michael's core principles is extreme specialization in crop selection:
"All that to say is, first, second, third, even fourth or fifth year farmers aren't normally good enough as a farmer to be able to consistently grow for these chefs, grocery stores, even farmers markets for that matter... When I first started out, and it's been really successful doing it this way, I take 3 to 4 crops a season and that's it."
His seasonal crop rotation follows this pattern:
Fall/Winter/Spring: Salad mix, carrots, spring onions (with occasional kale or radishes)
Summer: Salad mix, tomatoes, squash/zucchini (with occasional peppers)
This focused approach allows him to master a few high-demand crops rather than struggling with the complexity of managing many different varieties:
"After a year or two, I figured out, you know what I'm going to scale down... I grow salad mix nine to ten months out of the year until it just gets too hot. That's my bread and butter and I always tell new farmers I work with that is your base. Everything else goes on top of salad mix."
By limiting his crop selection, Michael can concentrate his efforts on consistent quality and production, which maintains customer satisfaction while allowing him to efficiently manage his time as a part-time farmer.
A Flexible CSA Model Without Upfront Payments
Perhaps the most unconventional aspect of Michael's approach is his CSA structure, which eliminates the traditional requirement for customers to pay upfront for an entire season:
"I don't want the stress of me having to produce for you, and if something happens like tornado comes by and tears my farm apart, which it almost did 2 years ago, I don't want to have to refund your money and I hate taking people's money and not delivering what I told them I would. Plus, I like the weekly cash flow."
Instead, customers pay week-by-week through Venmo or cash, with deliveries organized geographically to maximize efficiency:
"I send out a text, hey, and it's on a group text to those 6 people I'm delivering across the street on Tuesday. Hey, I'll be at your house around 7:30. Okay, great. And if somebody's hey, I'm on vacation. Okay, no problem. I understand. I'll get you in 2 weeks and then I just skip them that week."
This flexible payment system removes much of the pressure associated with traditional CSAs while maintaining the direct-to-consumer relationship. It also offers customers a more accessible entry point, as Michael explains: "So few people, especially nowadays, has the five, six, seven hundred dollars to drop up front. Whereas everybody's got, most of my stuff is usually anywhere from twelve to fifteen dollars a week is what I sell to each person."
Scaling Gradually Without Debt
Critical to Michael's model is avoiding debt while gradually scaling the business using farm-generated revenue:
"I haven't put one dime of my school teaching money into my farm in five years. But if you look at my farm now, I've got 130 foot cat tunnel and I just purchased and put up a 30 by 100 high tunnel that I bought used and put it up myself. And I've got 5 grand in it, but it's completely paid for."
This debt-free approach provides financial stability and resilience, particularly when facing inevitable seasonal fluctuations:
"In Texas, for me, July and August are my slowest times because of the heat. It's 105 plus 60 straight days, whereas during the winter up north, that's their slow time of the year. That's when I make my most money is in the winter. So people have to realize when their slow time is going to be, and they have to have enough money saved up in order to make it through those slow times."
By starting small with just 5-7 customers and gradually expanding his customer base through word-of-mouth referrals, Michael created a sustainable business that could finance its own growth without relying on external capital or debt.
Building for Retirement Rather Than Rapid Growth
Rather than pursuing rapid growth or maximizing current income, Michael's approach centers on building a sustainable business that can provide income through retirement:
"I'm a teacher. So at 52, 51, I get to retire and I've got a nice paycheck for the rest of my life. And honestly, I'm tired of kids anyway, so I want to retire. I'm just tired of teaching. What am I going to do the next 30 years of my life?... Most people that have a garden that have grown up growing stuff, or even if they haven't grown up growing stuff, at 50 years old, they can start a new career."
This perspective reframes the purpose of a farm business - it doesn't need to replace a full-time salary immediately, but can instead be designed to supplement retirement income or gradually grow into a full-time occupation:
"Let's say you're retiring and you're bringing home 3,000 a month. That pays a lot of bills, but it's cutting it close. What if you started your own farm and instead of saying, I want to make 50,000 a year, what if you said the first few years, I just want to make my house payment, which is 1,000 a month?"
This approach offers a compelling alternative for those nearing retirement age who want to transition into farming without the pressure of immediately generating a full-time income.
Three Action Steps
Start with Extreme Crop Specialization: Rather than attempting to grow dozens of different crops, focus on mastering 3-4 high-demand, relatively easy-to-grow crops per season. Michael recommends salad mix as your foundational crop, followed by simple additions like carrots, spring onions, cherry tomatoes, and summer squash. As he explains, "I do three or four crops and I can really focus on those three or four crops and I pick those crops because they're really easy to grow." This focused approach allows you to develop expertise more quickly while avoiding the complexity of managing many different growing schedules and techniques.
Build a Flexible, Customer-Friendly Sales Model: Consider a direct-to-consumer model that removes barriers to entry for customers rather than requiring large upfront commitments. Michael's pay-as-you-go CSA system with bi-weekly deliveries organized by neighborhood maximizes efficiency while eliminating the pressure of traditional CSA models: "The model sounds complicated, but when you start with it at the very beginning, you start with such a small 5, 6, 7 people like a new farmer might start with, it's way easier to keep track of." Begin by selling to people you know, then expand through word-of-mouth referrals, allowing your customer base to grow organically alongside your production capacity.
Grow Your Business with Farm-Generated Revenue: Avoid taking on debt to scale your farm by reinvesting profits back into infrastructure and equipment. Michael's approach demonstrates how patience pays off: "I haven't put one dime of my school teaching money into my farm in five years...doing it this way scaling, scaling, I've been able to buy better equipment, more high tunnels, and I'm debt free." This strategy might mean slower growth initially, but creates long-term financial stability. Start with minimal investment in basic necessities, then use your earnings to gradually add infrastructure like season extension, irrigation systems, and specialized equipment only as your revenue justifies the expenditure.
The core lesson Michael emphasizes is that successful market farming doesn't require following an aggressive growth trajectory or immediately replacing a full-time income. By starting small, focusing on a few well-chosen crops, building direct relationships with customers, and gradually scaling without debt, even part-time farmers can build profitable, sustainable businesses that may eventually support them in retirement or transition into full-time operations.
As Michael summarizes: "Not every farm has to be 100,000 a year farm or 300,000 a year farm. If you're retired and you need an extra 1000 and you love to grow food...I can show you how to do it without making without sounding arrogant like it's not hard to do to make 1,000 a month when you're 50 years old selling produce."
10 Essential Principles for Growing High-Quality Microgreens
This episode of the Growing Microgreens Podcast features an in-depth conversation with Chris Thoreau of The Food Peddlers about the fundamental principles that ensure successful microgreen production regardless of your specific growing environment. Drawing on over a decade of commercial growing experience, Chris distinguishes between the static processes of microgreen cultivation and the dynamic principles that must adapt to changing conditions. By examining these ten core principles, he provides a framework for understanding not just how to grow microgreens, but why specific practices matter and how to adjust them based on your unique circumstances.
Understanding Process vs. Principles
Chris begins by clarifying the critical distinction between process and principles in microgreen production:
"When we think about the process of growing microgreens, it's the step by step things you go through - filling a tray with soil, watering it, seeding it, going through germination, uncovering... What does change are the conditions around which you're growing. In particular, especially where we are here in Vancouver, temperature and light."
This distinction is fundamental because while the steps of growing microgreens remain relatively consistent, environmental factors fluctuate dramatically with seasonality, geography, and infrastructure. Understanding this adaptability is essential for successful production:
"It's not right for me to say, this is how long your cycle should be, or this is what temperature things should be at, rather, it's more like how much space do you have? And thus, how quickly do you need to grow your crop?"
Chris cautions against simply copying someone else's growing system without understanding the underlying principles, noting that his shipping container setup in Vancouver would be completely unsuitable in places like Australia or California due to different climatic demands. This adaptability mindset is the foundation for the ten principles that follow.
Principle 1: Start with Clean, Sanitized Trays
The first principle focuses on sanitation, particularly of growing trays:
"I was thinking to myself, what is the most important step in this process? And it dawned on me one day, it's the washing and sanitizing of our trays. 'Cause our trays are the thing that get reused so much."
Because trays are constantly cycled through the production system, they represent a significant vector for potential contamination. Chris emphasizes that when sanitation practices have slipped in his operation, disease problems inevitably followed. While trays aren't necessarily the highest contamination risk compared to seeds or soil, their repeated use makes consistent sanitation essential.
Principle 2: Buy Quality Seeds
Seed quality fundamentally determines crop quality in ways that cannot be corrected through growing techniques:
"It's the number one important thing in growing a good crop, whether it's microgreens or cabbage or corn. You know, I used to think, well, the seed isn't very good, but you know, we'll bump up the temperature or we'll water it a little bit more, or we'll give it a bit of fertilizer... But that doesn't change the difference in seed size and the different rate at which the hulls get shed."
Chris specifically highlights the variability in sunflower seed quality, noting it's a crop they test extensively before purchasing in bulk. He recommends working with wholesalers who specialize in microgreen and sprout seeds and who conduct pathogen testing, rather than purchasing small quantities at premium prices from retailers targeting hobbyists.
Principle 3: Pretreat Seeds as Needed
Different seed varieties require specific pretreatment protocols for optimal germination and disease prevention:
"Some seeds, you know, we soak our pea seeds overnight, to get good germination. If we just soak them for a few hours, it adds two days to the cycle. So understanding things like that... And once again, this can change per batch."
Chris explains that they sanitize any seed that gets soaked for germination, both as a disease prevention measure and to meet food safety guidelines, noting that microgreens are regulated similarly to sprouts due to potential food safety concerns. This attention to proper seed pretreatment is a critical step in both quality control and risk management.
Principle 4: Use the Right Soil Mix for Your Growing Conditions
While soil composition preferences vary between growers, Chris emphasizes understanding the fundamental properties your soil needs for your specific system:
"We have a soil that's a peat, compost, perlite mix. Very simple. Four ingredients. It's very light, it holds water well, it has good drainage... We've got a soil that things grow great in, and we tried a few different variations of that... nothing that we trialed did as good as the soil we have now."
He notes that excessive compost can actually harm growth due to high salt content or electrical conductivity, countering the common assumption that more organic matter is always better. His operation also prioritizes lighter soil mixes to reduce physical strain and prevent tray breakage, showing how operational considerations influence growing medium choices.
Principle 5: Start with the Correct Soil Moisture
Proper initial soil moisture is crucial for preventing disease while ensuring good germination:
"If you over water, what's going to happen is you're going to fill all the pore space in your soil with water, which means you're actually pushing all the air out of your soil. So what you're doing then is creating anaerobic conditions, which are really good conditions for disease."
Chris recommends aiming for "field capacity" rather than saturation - a state where smaller soil pores are filled with water while larger ones contain air. This balance provides sufficient moisture for germination while maintaining adequate aeration to prevent anaerobic conditions that promote pathogen growth.
Principle 6: Seed Each Type of Seed at the Correct Density
Finding the optimal seeding density involves balancing maximum yield with crop quality:
"If you were to graph seed density versus yield, as your seed density goes up, your yield goes up. But at a certain point it peaks, and then your yield per seed starts to go down."
Chris explains that while denser seeding can sometimes produce higher absolute yields per tray (even if less efficiently per seed), excessive density reduces airflow and increases disease risk, particularly in hot, humid conditions. He notes they slightly reduce seeding rates in summer months to improve ventilation between plants, emphasizing that maintaining consistent density is more important than maximizing tray numbers.
Principle 7: Cover Seeds and Leave the Cover on for the Correct Amount of Time
The germination phase, when trays are stacked and covered, serves multiple critical functions:
"That covering process does a number of things. Number one, the pressure makes sure that the seed is in really good contact with the soil. The other thing that pressure does is it creates a weight for the seeds to lift. And in doing so, it gives, with most crops, a much, much stronger stem."
This covering also maintains moisture without requiring additional watering and keeps crops in darkness for the first portion of their growth cycle, which affects flavor by preventing premature chlorophyll development. However, Chris cautions against leaving crops covered too long, as this can cause stems to bend and increase disease risk.
Principle 8: Water Consistently While Growing
Different crops have dramatically different water requirements that must be understood and adjusted based on environmental conditions:
"When we look at something like arugula, it's a crop that needs very, very little water. 'Cause there's very little biomass there. Whereas something like pea and sunflower, they're big crops and they tend to need a lot of water because they're growing really fast... But contrasting the sunflower and the pea, our sunflower probably needs twice as much water as the pea."
Chris emphasizes that watering strategies must adapt to seasonal changes in temperature and humidity, with particular vigilance during transition periods when the growing environment is rapidly changing. In his operation's 8-10 day growing cycle, even a delay of half a day in watering can significantly impact final crop quality.
Principle 9: Create the Correct Environment for Growing
Environmental factors like temperature, humidity, light quality, and airflow fundamentally determine crop success:
"Our air circulation, our air flow, our light quality, our light intensity, and our light duration - right now our day length is, we're maybe at nine hours technically of day length right now, but we've got our lights on for 14 or 15 hours because that's how much light the crops need."
Chris emphasizes that while supplemental lighting, heating, cooling, and ventilation are often necessary, natural sunlight produces superior results whenever available. He notes that even with excellent artificial lighting, certain crops like pea shoots develop better leaf formation under natural light, suggesting that sunlight quality cannot be fully replicated by artificial means.
Principle 10: Harvest at the Correct Time
The final principle focuses on harvesting crops at their peak quality, which varies by variety:
"With sunflower for example, one of the things we don't want on our crop is a true leaf. As soon as the second set of leaves starts coming on, the crop gets more bitter... With pea, our indicator is the tendrils... That tells me that pea is gonna start getting fibrous, which means it's gonna be chewy."
Chris explains that their tight production schedule requires precise timing, as just a single day can make the difference between perfect quality and an over-mature crop. His team uses various techniques to accelerate or slow crop development based on anticipated harvest needs, highlighting the importance of constant observation and responsive management.
Three Action Steps
Master Observation Before Mastering Techniques: The foundation of successful microgreen growing isn't technical knowledge but rather developing a consistent practice of careful observation. As Chris emphasizes, "Every time you're in the greenhouse, you look at the crop. Every Tuesday, every Thursday, every Friday, you should know where that crop is in its cycle." Begin by keeping a detailed growing journal that tracks not only what you do but what you observe at each stage - seed expansion during soaking, germination rates, growth patterns, and color development. Note environmental conditions alongside plant development to identify correlations. This observational skill allows you to detect small issues before they become major problems and gradually builds your intuitive understanding of how various crops respond to different conditions.
Prioritize Airflow and Sanitation in Your Growing System: Disease prevention is fundamental to microgreen production, and two factors stand above all others. As Chris notes, "Airflow is extremely, extremely important in reducing molds and mildews... We sanitize our trays, we sanitize our equipment all the time." Design your growing area to ensure consistent air movement throughout all plant surfaces, using fans strategically and avoiding overcrowding trays. Implement a strict sanitation protocol for all equipment, particularly trays that cycle repeatedly through your system. This systematic approach to cleanliness and ventilation creates an environment where pathogens struggle to establish, addressing problems before they begin rather than treating symptoms after disease appears.
Test Small Before Scaling Production: When introducing new varieties, seed batches, or growing techniques, always conduct small-scale trials before committing significant resources. Chris emphasizes, "We will never buy a batch of seed without testing it first," noting that his company routinely tests new sunflower seed shipments before making large purchases. Apply this testing principle to all aspects of your operation - from soil mixes to lighting schedules to seeding rates. Run side-by-side comparisons with minimal variables to isolate the impact of specific changes. This experimental approach reduces risk while allowing you to optimize your system for your specific conditions rather than relying on generic recommendations that may not apply to your unique environment.
The core lesson Chris emphasizes throughout is that while the basic steps of growing microgreens remain consistent, successful growers must understand the principles behind these steps to adapt them to their specific conditions. By focusing on careful observation, constant adaptation, and systematic quality control, microgreen growers can produce consistently excellent crops regardless of their particular growing environment.
As Chris summarizes: "You can make up for it in certain ways, but over time you just get more of an intuitive sense of what to do and where it's at. And it's quite fulfilling."
From Backyard to Business: A Rookie Farmer's Journey to Full-Time Production
This episode of The Rookie Farmer Podcast features host Alec Smith and fellow rookie farmer Colton Simpson of Simpson's Market Garden in Maryland. Both in their second season of production, they discuss their parallel journeys transitioning from part-time to full-time market gardening, exploring the realities of farmer's market sales, strategic crop planning, and expanding operations onto new land. As they navigate the complexities of microgreens, high tunnel production, and customer development, their conversation reveals practical insights for new growers looking to build sustainable farm businesses while avoiding common pitfalls.
The Path to Market Gardening
Colton explains his journey into farming, which follows a familiar trajectory for many new farmers:
"Like a lot of people, you know, it was kind of in 2014, 2013 kind of time period stumbled upon Curtis Stone. You know, everyone, it seems like a lot of people did, and you watch the videos and you see the content and it's, you know, make a hundred thousand dollars per acre."
While his initial interest was sparked by these videos, Colton took a different approach to entering farming. With a background in plant science and landscaping:
"This previous 2024 season was my first season operating kind of part-time, and I'm transitioning to full-time growing right now. I have a main plot that is about 2,500 square foot of actual bed space, about 5,000 square feet in total. And I'm transitioning to about an acre and a half that I have a lease on."
This progression from a small, manageable plot to a larger leased property mirrors many successful market gardeners' journeys, allowing for skill development and market testing before significant expansion. Alec notes the similarity to his own experience, where he's "all in one area" but divides his farm into "high rotation plots" for quick-turnover crops and "low rotation" areas for longer-season vegetables.
Market Testing and Finding Your Niche
Colton's first market season served as crucial market research, helping him identify his most successful crops:
"I had started the season, not knowing how the market would be... At the beginning of the year, I had started even with cabbage and broccoli and beets and whatnot, but ended up transitioning to pretty exclusively salad greens, bunch greens... by volume and by sales, probably 70% of my sales were probably in spring mix, arugula, lettuce mix and hakurei turnips."
This experience mirrors Alec's own first year, where he initially resisted focusing on baby greens:
"The last thing I wanted to do was just be another farm that's just selling a ton of baby greens at a super high premium to a more affluent community. But pretty quickly you start to realize that there's a reason why that is sort of the path that many folks often go down... you can't beat a spring mix. You can't beat baby arugula, baby root veg."
Both farmers discovered through direct market experience that certain crops consistently sell better than others. This market-driven approach to crop planning allows new farmers to maximize revenue while gradually building out their product mix based on customer demand rather than personal preferences.
Managing Farmer's Market Competition
Colton provides valuable insights about farmer's market dynamics, especially for new vendors entering established markets:
"Our farmer's market allows reselling and so two of the biggest vendors, they're resellers... As far as the other people, our farmer's market recently rolled out a certified grower program where they come out and inspect your farm and they verify that you grow everything yourself."
This certification has helped Colton differentiate his products from resellers, though he still faces the challenge of introducing customers to less familiar vegetables:
"A lot of these products, like hakurei turnips, it's kind of I'm the only one bringing them. So it's beneficial in that way. But people not having seen some of these products, you get a lot of 'Is that a radish?'"
The conversation highlights how important product differentiation and education become in competitive markets. Both farmers emphasize developing personal connections with customers rather than viewing other vendors as direct competition. As Alec notes:
"Although at least in my experience and some other growers I've talked to, you do develop loyal customers that will say, 'I only buy from you'... I try to not consider the other growers as competition."
The Microgreens Question: Trend or Opportunity?
An extensive portion of the conversation explores microgreens production, addressing whether it's merely a trend or a viable long-term product:
"I think the trendiness is good 'cause a lot of people are aware of microgreens. They wanna come over and look... But I think long term microgreens is fading away as far as a business on its own."
Colton explains that while standalone microgreens businesses may struggle, incorporating microgreens into a diverse market garden creates synergies:
"I think you'd have a hard time selling just microgreens if that's all you were bringing to the market. I think as part of an overall display, when you have salad mix, when you have hakurei turnips and people are on their own kind of making it in their head where they're like, 'Well, I can have a fancy salad.'"
He also highlights how presentation can influence perception. By displaying microgreens alongside traditional farm products in rustic packaging, he bridges the gap between modern and traditional farming aesthetics:
"With my stand kind of leaning more towards a country style with wicker baskets and pallet wood... I think it's less modern and trendy maybe to someone... like, 'If this country farmer has it maybe it's worth looking into' opposed to 'That's city folk there with their microgreens.'"
Both farmers agree that microgreens work best as a complementary product within a diverse farm offering rather than as a standalone business model, especially for growers just starting out.
Expansion Strategy: Managing New Land and Infrastructure
A significant portion of the conversation covers Colton's expansion onto larger leased land with existing infrastructure:
"This previous kind of late fall, early winter, I started feeling out if there's any land opportunities in our area... Early January I'd stumbled upon a local business that's kind of agritourism. It has an Airbnb aspect, farm animals, alpacas and cattle and chickens... And they have a plot of farmland that had not been being used."
The arrangement provides Colton with access to crucial infrastructure:
"There's an existing high tunnel on this plot. It is a 30 by 90 foot high tunnel... I have access to space to store in one of their sheds. I have access to space in their actual farm store. And then I have space and electrical and water hookup for wash pack."
This collaborative relationship showcases an innovative approach to expansion without heavy investment, allowing Colton to scale up while sharing infrastructure costs with a complementary agricultural business. The conversation highlights the importance of creative problem-solving when approaching farm expansion, especially for resource-constrained beginning farmers.
High Tunnel Production Strategies
Both farmers discuss their experiences and plans for high tunnel production, with Alec sharing insights from his first year with a high tunnel and his process of building a second:
"I currently have one tunnel. I have a 20 by 40 foot high tunnel, four beds in there, grown lots of different stuff over this last season. And I'm currently in the process of constructing a new tunnel. I have a 30 by 72 foot used tunnel that I bought, and I'm currently trying to puzzle piece it together."
For Colton, who's preparing to use his newly-acquired high tunnel, the discussion turns to crop planning. He intends to grow a mix of crops rather than dedicating the entire structure to a single crop:
"My plan is to have probably about 25% in peppers that I know I can sell - bell peppers and Italian sweet peppers. And then a little bit of eggplants and actually some celery... And then have the rest of it be a mix of heirloom tomatoes and determinate hybrid tomatoes."
Colton's reasoning for growing heirloom tomatoes alongside hybrids highlights his marketing strategy:
"The sales pitch aspect that I'm envisioning for the heirloom tomatoes - some of the varieties are Maryland heirlooms from the early 1900s... For the sales aspect, I feel like I wanna lean into having infographics with the history and with the taste and the flavor profile."
This discussion reveals how high tunnel management requires balancing production efficiency with marketability, disease prevention, and labor considerations - a complex calculation particularly important for beginning farmers with limited resources.
Building Sustainable Systems for Growth
Throughout the conversation, both farmers emphasize the importance of creating sustainable systems that can grow over time. Colton shares his approach to scaling up:
"I'm planning right now to try to have by the April selling season at the farmer's market about 10,000 square feet turned over and made into beds... I think that will be definitely probably more than I could handle by myself, including the current lot."
He's intentionally planning to develop his farm in phases rather than attempting to bring the entire property into production immediately:
"The kind of back 15,000 plus square feet, I'm gonna leave untouched for the time being... My plan is to come through, till it, get cover crops going to try to slowly break down that seed bank that's developed over the last 20 years."
This measured approach to expansion aligns with both farmers' experiences during their first seasons, where they learned the importance of managing workload and focusing on quality over quantity. As Alec notes:
"With you included, that's two growers and then two other growers slash resellers. Now on, for better or for worse, I would argue for better, I've only participated in growers-only markets."
The conversation reveals how successful new farmers must balance ambition with practical limitations, building systems that can grow sustainably rather than attempting to maximize production immediately.
Three Action Steps
Start with Market-Driven Crop Selection: Rather than growing what you personally prefer, let market demand guide your production decisions. As Colton discovered, "By volume and by sales, probably 70% of my sales were in spring mix, arugula, lettuce mix and hakurei turnips." Begin by offering a diverse range of products during your first few markets, carefully track sales, and then progressively focus your production on your bestsellers. Both farmers found that despite initial resistance to specializing in baby greens, these crops consistently delivered the highest return on investment in terms of both sales and customer satisfaction. However, maintain enough diversity to create an attractive market display and meet various customer needs, using microgreens and specialty items strategically to complement your core offerings.
Develop a Strategic Land Expansion Plan: When moving beyond your initial growing area, prioritize access to infrastructure over raw acreage. Colton's approach demonstrates this wisdom: "I kind of started feeling out if there's any land opportunities... market gardening requires a lot of infrastructure and you need water and electric and kind of to be able to do wash pack and storage." Look for creative partnerships like Colton's arrangement with an agritourism business, where complementary agricultural enterprises can share infrastructure costs. When expanding to new land, develop a phased approach rather than attempting to bring everything into production immediately, focusing first on establishing the systems and infrastructure needed for successful crop production before expanding your growing area.
Embrace Incremental Growth Based on Experience: Both farmers emphasize the importance of measured expansion aligned with your developing skills and market relationships. Colton advises, "By the end of the year, especially as I had expanded a bit into microgreens, I feel like people were very willing and trusting to try things." Start with a manageable production area and customer base, then gradually scale as you build confidence and efficiency. For high-value protected growing space like high tunnels, Colton recommends a diversified approach: "I'm planning to have probably about 25% in peppers... a little bit of eggplants and celery... And then have the rest be a mix of heirloom tomatoes and determinate hybrid tomatoes." This diversification mitigates risk while you determine what grows best in your system and what sells most consistently in your market. Each season brings new lessons that inform your next expansion step, creating a more sustainable growth trajectory than attempting rapid scaling without adequate experience.
Both farmers emphasize the core lesson that successful market gardening requires balancing ambition with practical experience, letting market feedback shape your production decisions, and creating systems that can grow incrementally rather than attempting to maximize immediately. By focusing first on mastering a limited range of high-value crops and gradually expanding both production area and crop diversity, new farmers can build resilient businesses while avoiding the common pitfalls that lead many beginners to burnout and failure.
As Colton reflects on his progress: "I'd say by far it's exceeded expectations and this coming into the fall with the continued sales and with the continued support is kind of what made me decide that I'm gonna make a leap to try to pursue it as a full-time career opposed to just kind of part-time."
Check out podcasts on the Modern Grower Podcast Network:
🔊 Carrot Cashflow: A farm business podcast
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart: A market farming podcast
🔊 Farm Small Farm Smart Daily: Daily market farming clips
🔊 The Growing Microgreens Podcast: A microgreen farming podcast
🔊 The Urban Farmer Podcast and The Urban Farmer Rewind: The 10 Yea
🔊 The Rookie Farmer Podcast: Farmer Alec Smith talks about modern market farming with growers and other farming specialists.
🔊 In Search of Soil Podcast: An in-depth soil science podcast